MAMA presents; The Beat Farmers

The Beat Farmers to play the State Theater of Modesto on March 28th, their first concert in Modesto in nearly 30 years.

San Diego Americana legends, The Beat Farmers, will be making a rare stop in Modesto, CA, for a show at the State Theater of Modesto on Thursday, March 28th. The band has not played in Modesto since 1995.

The surviving members of the classic 80s and 90s Beat Farmers’ line-up, Jerry Raney, Joey Harris and Rolle Love, along with drummer Joel “Bongo” Kmak, are very excited about returning to Modesto and have fond memories from playing there way back when.

In September of 2023, The Beat Farmers played a four consecutive run of shows in Northern California, which marked the band’s first shows out of San Diego in nearly 30 years. The run was a huge success and promoters in other surrounding areas expressed an interest in having them perform in their area the next time they head up north. One of those cities was Modesto, so here we are!

The Beat Farmers were a big part of the 1980s Roots Rock/Americana movement that included Los Lobos, The Blasters, Lone Justice, Rank & File and the Long Ryders, to name a few, and are continuously mentioned as a major influence on many of the acts on the current American scene.

They officially broke up in 1995, following the untimely death of drummer Country Dick Montana, who died on stage in British Columbia, Canada during a Beat Farmers show. They eventually formed their own bands that play regularly in and around the San Diego area, but there was always a constant demand by the fans for a Beat Farmers reunion.

The demand to reunite became so great that they started having an annual reunion event every January in San Diego called The Beat Farmers Hootenanny, which would bring the band back together for one night to do a classic Beat Farmers set and would also include a variety of guest performers. This annual reunion led to an invitation from the popular Sirius/XM Radio Outlaw Country channel, to be a part of their Outlaw Country Cruise, which included a who’s who of classic Americana bands and artists.

What always set The Beat Farmers apart from any other band was (and still is) their amazing, take no prisoners, live show. It was these early shows that got them signed to their first record deal with Rhino Records that resulted in their 1985 classic debut album, Tales Of The New West. Tales Of The New West was reissued in 2021 and received one of the Top Reissues of the Year honors by the New York Times.

With their 2023 Northern California Road Trip, as well as a couple Outlaw Country cruises and another Hootenanny, under their belt and the demand for classic Americana music at an all-time high, The Beat Farmers are primed and ready to do what they do best, play some legendary shows that will be talked about forever, or at least until they return!

Doors Open at 6:30 p.m.
Third Party at 7:30 p.m.
The Beat Farmers at 8:45 p.m.
GA Tickets: $30 in advance / $35 at the door